The instinct to protect others is virtuous, and certainly a good trait to have. Naturally, there are a number of girl and boy names that carry this meaning as well, with similar descriptions including survivor, warrior, or shield.
The last one might confuse you a bit–after all, who still uses a shield? But you’d be surprised at the number of lovely names that mean shield, and all that suit baby boys and girls alike in the 20th century. While it’s true that most of these names are for boys (given the traditionally masculine role of protector), girls can still get in on the fun here, too.
Let’s start with German name Bertrand, which means “bright” and “the rim of a shield.” This name is actually a portmanteau of Behrt and Rand, each of which carry these respective meanings. For girls, the French name Bernadette is extremely close in meaning here, with added notions of bravery and fierceness.
Similarly, Randolph and its variants, like Randall, also mean “The rim of a shield,” with its “-olph” end coming from the Latin vulf, which means wolf. If you’re looking to go a little further east of Germany, try the Armenian Vahan; this name literally means “shield.”
We’ve got a whole list of names that mean shield, as well as some with similar meanings of bravery, courage, and warrior-like strength–read on to learn what they are.
Adalinda
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Berglind
Meaning: Protective shield
Origin: Icelandic
Gender: Girl
Bernadette
Meaning: Brave As A Bear
Origin:French, German
Gender: Girl
Bertrand
Meaning: Bright; The rim of a shield
Origin: German
Gender: Boy
Bjarklind
Meaning: Protective shield
Origin: Icelandic
Gender: Girl
Burglind
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Burglinde
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Castiel
Meaning: Shield of God
Origin: English
Gender: Boy
Childe
Meaning: Shield
Origin: American
Gender: Boy
Dithebe
Meaning: Shields
Origin: Tswana
Gender: Boy
Eikinskjaldi
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Ancient Scandinavia, Norse Mythology
Gender: Boy
Friedelinde
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Gashaw
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Amharic
Gender: Boy
Gerdlinde
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Gislinde
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Gotelind
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Herirand
Meaning: Rim, Edge (of a shield)
Origin: Old High German
Gender: Boy
Herlinde
Meaning: Army, Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Herrand
Meaning: Army, Edge (of a shield)
Origin: Ancient German
Gender: Boy
Hlifar
Meaning: Protection, Shield
Origin: Icelandic
Gender: Boy
Kristlind
Meaning: Protective shield of linden wood
Origin: Icelandic
Gender: Girl
Lifdis
Meaning: Protection (Especially a shield)
Origin: Icelandic
Gender: Girl
Liulfr
Meaning: Shield, Protection
Origin: Ancient Scandinavian
Gender: Boy
Luay
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Boy
Mertal
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Kurdish
Gender: Boy
Ortlinde
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: German
Gender: Girl
Osterlind
Meaning: Shield (made of lime wood)
Origin: Medieval German
Gender: Girl
Rand
Meaning: The rim of a shield
Origin: Muslim
Gender: Unisex
Randalin
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Norse Mythology
Gender: Girl
Randall
Meaning: The rim of a shield
Origin: German
Gender: Boy
Randarsol
Meaning: Shield; Rim, edge (of a shield)
Origin: Norwegian
Gender: Girl
Rando
Meaning: Shield
Origin: German
Gender: Boy
Randolfr
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Ancient Scandinavian
Gender: Boy
Randolph
Meaning: The rim of a shield
Origin: German
Gender: Boy
Randsom
Meaning: The rim of a shield
Origin: English
Gender: Boy
Randvi
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Ancient Scandinavian
Gender: Girl
Ranne
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Dutch
Gender: Girl
Regelinda
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Medieval Slavic, Medieval German
Gender: Girl
Tatehiko
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Japanese
Gender: Boy
Thebe
Meaning: Shield
Origin: African
Gender: Girl
Thebeyame
Meaning: My Shield
Origin: African
Gender: Boy
Vahan
Meaning: Shield
Origin: Armenian
Gender: Boy
Vardar
Meaning: Shield; Protect
Origin: Bulgarian
Gender: Boy
